1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data setting method and more particularly to a method for setting data used for raising and lowering a magazine by an elevator means during the manufacture of, for instance, semiconductor devices.
2. Prior Art
Generally, as shown in FIG. 4, in an assembly machine used in the manufacture of semiconductors, particularly in a bonding apparatus such as a wire bonding apparatus and a die bonding apparatus, a loader side magazine 2A and an unloader side magazine 2B are respectively installed at either end of a conveying path 1 of a feeder means for a workpiece (including lead frames, wafers, semiconductor substrates, etc.), and these magazines 2 (2A, 2B) are positioned and carried on the respective magazine holders 4 of the loader side elevator device 3A and the unloader side elevator device 3B. A bonding apparatus 5 such as a wire bonding apparatus, a die bonding apparatus, etc. is installed on one side of the conveying path 1.
The following description will be made with reference to a case wherein lead frames are processed.
In the above described structure, lead frames 6 stored in the loader side magazine 2A are pushed out onto the frame conveying path 1 by a pusher 7. Each lead frame 6 that is pushed out onto the conveying path 1 is conveyed to the working position (for instance, a bonding position) 1a by a feeder means (not shown), and bonding is performed by the bonding apparatus 5. When the bonding is completed, the lead frame 6 is conveyed by the feeder means and accommodated in the unloader side magazine 2B.
FIG. 5 shows one type of magazine used in the system above for storing workpieces, that is, lead frames, therein. The magazine has a plurality of article storing sections 2a though 2g so that a plurality of lead frames are accommodated in the magazines 2 (2A, 2B) in a stacked fashion with a fixed spacing in between. Thus, each time a lead frame is fed onto the conveying path 1 (see FIG. 1) from the loader side magazine 2A, or each time a lead frame is accommodated in the unloader side magazine 2B from the conveying path 1, the respective magazine 2 (2A or 2B) is lowered by one pitch, so that the article storing section of the magazine 2 (2A or 2B) which stores the next lead frame to be fed out or which stores the next lead frame to be fed thereinto is positioned at the level of the conveying path 1.
If two or more magazines 2 (2A or 2B) are placed in a stacked configuration on the magazine holder 4 of each elevator device 3 (3A or 3B), when the last lead frame has been fed out of the uppermost article storing section 2g of the loader side magazine 2A or when the last lead frame has been fed into the uppermost article storing section 2g of the unloader side magazine 2B at the level of the conveying path, then it is necessary to further lower the magazine 2 (2A or 2B) so that the lowermost storing section 2a of the next magazine is positioned at the level of the conveying path 1.
One example of such a magazine conveying device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. 1-32127.
In this device, as seen from FIG. 6, an article storing section/position detecting plate 130 is attached to a magazine holder 104 of the elevator device 100. Magazines 150A, 150B, 150C are set on the magazine holder 104 of this elevator device 100. This storing section position detecting plate 130 has a slit group as shown in FIG. 7, which comprises a plurality of slits 130a and a separated slit 130b. The slits 130a are formed at the same pitch and number as the number of the article storing sections of the magazine, and the separated slit 130b is formed above the slits 130a with a distance equal to the distance between the uppermost article storing section of a first magazine (150A) to the lowermost article storing section of a second magazine (150B) which is placed on the first magazine. Furthermore, a photo sensor 133 is provided for detecting the slits 130a and 130b of the detecting plate 130. The elevator device 100 further includes an externally threaded screw shaft 114 installed uprightly and driven by a motor 118. The magazine holder 104 is provided with an internally threaded screw which is engaged with the externally threaded screw shaft 114 so that the magazine holder 104 is raised and lowered when the externally threaded screw shaft 114 is rotated by the motor 118. The reference numeral 135 is a lower limit switch that detects the magazine holder 104 reached to its lowest moving point.
In this prior art, each time the article storing section of the magazine comes to the conveying path level 132 by way of the lowering movement of the magazine holder 104 that holds the magazine thereon, an article (for example, a lead frame) is fed out of (or fed into) the magazine, and this movement of the magazine holder 104 is detected by the photo sensor 133 that faces the slits 130a and 130b of the detecting plate 130 attached to the magazine holder 104.
As seen from the above, it is necessary to use the article storing section position detecting plate 130 which is specially designed (particularly with regard to the number of the slits) for each type of the magazine to be handled. Furthermore, when there is a change in magazines due to a change in the type of product (lead frames, wafers, etc.) to be worked on the positional relationship between the article storing section position detecting plate 130 and the photo sensor 133 must be adjusted.
In addition, the magazine holder raising and lowering elements (including the screw shaft 114 and others) that render the magazine holder 104 to move up and down customarily have working errors and assembly errors. Accordingly, the elevator device inevitably contains a positional deviation error in raising and lowering the magazine holder 104.